Process for preparing battered food

ABSTRACT

A battering process for providing a batted food product including the steps of coating a food product with a first predust, a first batter, a second predust, and a second batter to form an edible coating on the food product. Setting the edible coating on the food product in an oven before thermally processing the food product, misting the edible coating on the food product with water, and freezing and packing the food product to be reheated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application hereby incorporates by reference theentire provisional patent application identified by U.S. Ser. No.63/159,713, filed on Mar. 11, 2021, and claims priority thereto under 35U.S.C. § 119(e).

BACKGROUND

Batter fried foods have enjoyed sustained popularity across many foodcultures around the world. Consumers of breaded foods are likely drawnto their unique texture and golden-brown appearance. However, achievingthis desired texture and appearance requires labor intensive processesthat employ different types of animal fats and/or vegetable oils.

Typically, fried and battered foods are prepared, for example, bycoating food products with a flour-based mixture, followed by aflour-based batter, before submerging the coated food products in heatedanimal fats and/or vegetable oils to achieve the desired texture andgolden-brown appearance sought after by consumers.

Increasingly, however, more health-conscious consumers are turning awayfrom fried, battered foods because fried, battered foods are highlycaloric and contain high levels of fats. This is largely due to themethods of preparing fried, battered foods. In recognition of thechanging dietary preferences of consumers, manufacturers and othercommercial preparers of food products have sought to obtain similartexture, flavor, and appearance of fried, battered foods without thetypical oil-frying process. This includes the use of different coatingsfor food products that, when prepared, attempt to imitate thecharacteristics of traditionally fried, battered food products. However,these attempts have been met with varying degrees of success. Often,these new processes do not produce food products having the appearance,texture, or taste of fried products.

A need exists for a coating for food products and process of producingfood products having the taste, texture, and appearance of fried,battered food without relying on traditional oil-frying method. It is tosuch a coating and process of preparing food products employing thecoating that the inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein aredirected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIVE CONCEPTS

The inventive concepts disclosed and claimed herein generally relate toa breading process for producing battered food products. The processincludes coating a food product with a first predust comprising crackermeal, flour, starch and one or more other flavoring ingredients in afirst predust step. Following the first predust step, coating the foodproduct with a first batter in a first coating step, the first battercomprising dry ingredients, water, and oil. Next, coating the foodproduct from the first coating step with a second predust comprisingcracker meal, and one or more natural coating ingredients in a secondpredust step. Then, coating the food product from the second preduststep with a second bater in a second coating step to form an ediblecoating on the food product, the second batter comprising dryingredients, water, and oil. Following the second coating step, settingthe edible coating on the food product in an oven in a setting step.Next, thermally processing the food product from the setting step in acooking step before misting the edible coating on the food product fromthe cooking step with water in a misting step, and freezing the foodproduct from the misting step for packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To assist those of ordinary skill in the art in making and using theinventive concepts disclosed herein, reference is made to the appendeddrawings.

The drawing is a flowchart illustrating steps to coat a food productaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concepts disclosedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the inventive concept(s) indetail by way of exemplary drawings, experimentation, results, andlaboratory procedures, it is to be understood that the inventiveconcept(s) is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of the components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings, experimentationand/or results. The inventive concept(s) is capable of other embodimentsor of being practiced or carried out in various ways. The language usedherein is intended to be given the broadest possible scope and meaning;and the embodiments are meant to be exemplary-not exhaustive. Also, itis to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed hereinis for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting.

Unless otherwise defined, scientific and technical terms used inconnection with the presently disclosed and claimed inventive concept(s)shall have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skillin the art. Further, unless otherwise required by context, singularterms shall include pluralities and plural terms shall include thesingular. The foregoing techniques and procedures are generallyperformed according to conventional methods well known in the art and asdescribed in various general and more specific references cited anddiscussed throughout the present specification. The nomenclaturesutilized in connection with, and the laboratory procedures andtechniques of, analytical chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, andmedicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry described herein are thosewell-known and commonly used in the art. Standard techniques are usedfor chemical syntheses and chemical analyses.

All the articles, compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimedherein can be made and executed without undue experimentation, given thepresent disclosure. While the articles, compositions and methods of theinventive concept(s) have been described in terms of preferredembodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art thatvariations may be applied to the articles, compositions and/or methodsand in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods describedherein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of theinventive concept(s). All such similar substitutes and modificationsapparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit,scope and concept of the inventive concept(s) as defined by the appendedclaims.

As utilized under the present disclosure, the following terms, unlessotherwise indicated, shall be understood to have the following meanings:

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term“comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” butit is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,”and “one or more than one.”

The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unlessexplicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternativesare mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definitionthat refers to only alternatives and “and/or.”

Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that avalue includes the inherent variation of error for the device, themethod being employed to determine the value, or the variation thatexists among the study subjects.

The use of the term “at least one” will be understood to include one aswell as any quantity more than one, including but not limited to, 2, 3,4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term “at least one” mayextend up to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term to which it isattached; in addition, the quantities of 100/1000 are not to beconsidered limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactoryresults. In addition, the use of the term “at least one of X, Y, and Z”will be understood to include X alone, Y alone, and Z alone, as well asany combination of X, Y, and Z.

As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (andany form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having”(and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and anyform of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing”(and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) areinclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecitedelements or method steps.

The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to allpermutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term.For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to includeat least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is importantin a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB.Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations thatcontain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC,AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan willunderstand that typically there is no limit on the number of items orterms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.

As used herein, the term “meat” refers to fish, shell-fish, poultry,beef, veal, pork, various game meats, and any other type of animalproduct commonly referred to as meat or fish. A meat may be available invarious cuts, including with or without bones.

As used herein, the term “coating” may be one or more layers of asubstance, for example a batter, breader, or predust applied to a foodproduct. The “coating” may comprise several layers applied individually.

As used herein, the term “predust” may be a dry component of a coating.A “predust” may be applied to a food product prior to a batter orbreader layer of a coating. Predust may be available in a variety ofsizes, including very fine to very coarse, and may include additionalingredients such as flavorings and seasonings.

As used herein, the term “batter” may be a liquid or liquid basedcoating. A batter may be a suspension, emulsion, or solution of a liquidthat contains a second liquid and/or a solid, such as, for example,gums, starches, or flour.

In the following detailed description of embodiments of the inventiveconcept, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide amore thorough understanding of the inventive concept. However, it willbe apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the inventiveconcept within the disclosure may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known features have not been describedin detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the instant disclosure.

Finally, as used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular element, feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment.

Referring now to the drawing, shown therein is a flowchart illustratingsteps to coat a food product according to an exemplary embodiment of theinventive concepts disclosed herein.

In a step 110, a marinade is applied to a food product. The food productmay be a meat, vegetable, fruit, appetizer, cheese, pasta-based foodproduct, or a combination thereof. Generally, the size of the foodproduct is not critical. The food products may vary from bite-sized towhole food products. The food product may also be a formed food productwhich is manufactured from particles of one or more food products andreformulated into particular shapes. The food product may be uniform insize or of varying sizes. The food product may also be portioned to aparticular size. The food product may be fresh, frozen, or semi-frozen.The food product may be raw, cooked, or partially cooked, and mayinclude a breaded heat set coating. The food product may be boneless orbone-in. In one embodiment, frozen food products are thawed to, forexample, refrigerated temperature before the marination step 110.

The marinade applied to the food product in step 110 may impart flavorto the food product, tenderize the food product, and may introducemoisture into the food product to prevent the food product from becomingtoo dry once cooked. The marinade may also allow for uniformity offlavor of the food products. The marinade may be a liquid marinade, thecomposition of the liquid marinade may include liquid ingredients, dryingredients, or both.

The liquid marinade may include a flavored stock, an alkali metalphosphate, and salt. The liquid marinade may contain a flavored stock,such as chicken stock, beef stock, turkey stock, vegetable stock, fishand seafood stock, bone broth, or a combination thereof. Flavored stockmay impart flavor to the food product and provide moisture. The flavoredstock for the liquid marinade may be salted or unsalted. The liquidmarinade may comprise about 0% to 100% by weight of flavored stock. Inone embodiment, the liquid marinade may comprise about 96% by weight ofunsalted chicken stock.

The liquid marinade may contain alkali metal phosphates such as, forexample, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodiumpyrophosphate, dipotassium phosphate, or a combination thereof. Theliquid marinade may comprise up to about 0.5% by food product weight ofalkali metal phosphates. The liquid marinade may comprise about 0% toabout 2% by weight of alkali metal phosphates. In one embodiment, theliquid marinade may comprise about 2% by weight of sodiumtripolyphosphate. Sodium tripolyphosphate is commonly used in marinadesto increase meat yield and water-holding capacity, as well as improvecolor and texture. The liquid marinade may also contain salt, such assodium chloride. In some embodiments, the salt may be an encapsulatedsalt to better maintain the cellular integrity of meat proteins. Theliquid marinade may comprise an amount of salt based on consumerpreference. In one embodiment, the liquid marinade may comprise about 2%by weight of salt. Salt, similarly, is another common ingredient inmarinades, and may enhance food product flavor, increase moistureretention, and, when used with sodium tripolyphosphate, may act as asynergist with sodium tripolyphosphate to extract salt-soluble proteins.The liquid marinade may be suitable for injection into food products.The marinade may be applied to the food product by conventionalprocedures known in the art, including the use of a vacuum tumbler, andneedle injectors. The alkali metal phosphates and salt may be uniformlydispersed in the flavored stock to form the liquid marinade.

In one embodiment, marinating step 110 is performed in a vacuum tumbler.Vacuum tumbling is a method of marination in which food products areplaced in a rotating tumbler in the presence of a marinade under reducedpressured. Applying a vacuum mechanically distorts the food product,expanding it, and allows for effective absorption of the marinade.Further, the mechanical distortion of the food product, such as meats,may break down meat fibers to enhance tenderization. Once the foodproducts are placed into the vacuum tumbler, an amount of liquidmarinade may be metered into the vacuum tumbler. An amount of liquidmarinade of approximately 10% to 25% by weight of the food product maybe placed into the vacuum tumbler with the food product. In oneembodiment, an amount of liquid marinade, such as, about 13% by weightof the food product, may be metered into the vacuum tumbler. The foodproduct may be tumbled in the vacuum tumbler for approximately 15-25minutes. The food product may be marinated in the vacuum tumbler for apredetermined amount of time, or until substantially all the liquidmarinade is absorbed by the food product.

In some embodiments, after marinating step 110, the food product may betumbled in the vacuum tumbler with a liquid batter. In that embodiment,an amount of liquid batter, such as, about 10% by weight of the foodproduct, comprising approximately 35% to 40% batter solids, may bemetered into the vacuum tumbler. The food product may be tumbled in thevacuum tumbler without vacuum for approximately 5 minutes.

In another embodiment, marinating step 110 may be optional.

In an alternative embodiment, marinating step 110 may be performed byinjecting the liquid marinade directly into the food product using, forexample, a single needle injector or multi-needle injector. In thatembodiment, the food product may be a bone-in meat product. The foodproduct may be injected at one or more injection locations, and adesired volume of liquid marinade may be deposited at each of the one ormore injection locations.

In another embodiment, after marinating step 110, the food product maybe placed on a vibratory conveyor belt, which produces a vibration, orotherwise agitates the food products as the food products are beingconveyed along the vibratory conveyor belt, causing the liquid marinadeto be uniformly dispersed throughout the food product.

After the marination step 110, a predust may be applied to the foodproduct in a step 120.

In step 120, a predust may be added to the vacuum tumbler to coat thefood product after the marination step 110. Application of a predust tothe food product may improve the adhesion of a coating, improve yield,impart flavor, and improve crispiness of a food product. The predust maycontain one or more of bread crumbs, cracker meal, food starch, fiber,flour, spices, natural colors and flavors, and oil. The predust mayinclude bread crumbs, such as American bread crumbs or Japanese breadcrumbs. The bread crumbs and cracker meal may contribute to the foodproduct's ultimate texture, flavor, and appearance. The bread crumbs maybe sauteed to impart a refined sauté fried flavor and golden-brownappearance to the food product. In one embodiment, bread crumbs may besautéed with oil using a heated plate with a surface temperature ofabout 400° F. The oil may be a vegetable oil, an animal fat or oil, orcombination thereof. The oil may be a soy bean oil, cotton seed oil,palm kernel oil, safflower oil, corn oil, beef tallow, pork lard, gooseor duck fat, or a combination thereof. The predust may also containwheat flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, yellow corn flour or acombination thereof. Commercially available mixers, such as, forexample, PlowBlend™ blenders may perform step 120. Food starch, such asnatural starches, may be included in the predust for added crispinessand for improve oil-barrier properties. Similarly, natural colors may beadded to the predust composition to create a uniform golden color aroundthe food product. The predust may be formed by combining the breadcrumbs, cracker meal, food starch, fibers, flour natural flavors andcolors, spray dried fats, flavored meat powders, and spices. In someembodiments, the first predust may further comprise artificial flavorsand colors, and antioxidants to control rancidity. The combined predustmay be processed to obtain varying particle sizes. In one embodiment,the predust is a fine powder with limited bread crumbs and cracker meal.

An amount of predust may be metered into the vacuum tumbler to coat themarinated food product. In one embodiment, an amount of predust, suchas, about 0% to about 2% by weight of the food product, may be meteredinto the vacuum tumbler. The food product may be tumbled in the vacuumtumbler with the predust for up to about 5 minutes. The food product maybe coated with the predust in the vacuum tumbler for a predeterminedamount of time, or until substantially all of the predust has adhered tothe surface of the food product.

In an alternative embodiment, the liquid marinade and predust may beapplied to the food product without a vacuum tumbler using conventionalmethods.

In another embodiment, the predust step 120 may be optional.

After the predust step 120, the food product may be removed from thevacuum tumbler for further processing. In a step 130, a first batter maybe applied to the food product. The first batter may combine acombination of water, dry ingredients, and oil. The first batter maycontain one or more of bread crumbs, food starch, flour, cracker meal,natural flavors and colors, spices, spray dried fats, flavored meatpowders, oil, water, and combinations thereof. The first batter maycontain bread crumbs, such as American or Japanese bread crumbs. Thefirst batter may also contain one or more varieties of flour, such aswheat flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, yellow corn flour, or acombination thereof. The first batter may also contain, for example,natural starches, citrus fibers, natural flavors and colors, spices,spray dried fats, flavored meat powders, oil, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, the first batter may further comprise artificialflavors and colors, and antioxidants to control rancidity. In oneembodiment, the first batter may contain about 2% to about 5% by weightoil. The addition of oil to the first batter may improve the finishedbatter coating appearance and improve batter coating release fromTeflon™ slats, such as Cambridge™ belting or JBT ProGrill™/ProBake™belting during further processing. In on embodiment, the dry ingredientsmay be identical to or substantially similar to the predust formulation.The water content of the first batter may be adjusted depending ondesired viscosity and coating thickness. The first batter may be appliedto the food product by conventional procedures known in the art. In analternative embodiment, the first battering step 130 may be optional.

In a step 140, a second predust may be applied to the food product afterthe first batter step 130. Application of the second predust to the foodproduct may improve the adhesion of a coating, improve yield, impartflavor, improve crispiness of a food product, and create a protectiveseal against product leakage. The second predust may contain one or moreof bread crumbs, cracker meal, food starch, fiber, flour, spices,natural colors and flavors, and oil. The second predust may includebread crumbs, such as American bread crumbs or Japanese bread crumbs.The bread crumbs may contribute to the food product's ultimate texture,flavor, and appearance. The cracker meal may be sauteed to impart arefined sauté fried flavor and golden-brown appearance to the foodproduct. In one embodiment, the cracker meal may be sautéed with oilusing a heated plate with a surface temperature of about 400° F. The oilmay be a vegetable oil, an animal fat or oil, or a combination thereof.The oil may be a soy bean oil, cotton seed oil, palm kernel oil,safflower oil, corn oil, or a combination thereof. The second predustmay also contain wheat flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, yellow cornflour or a combination thereof. Food starch, such as natural starches,may be included in the predust for added crispiness and for improveoil-barrier properties. Similarly, natural colors may be added to thesecond predust composition to create a uniform golden color around thefood product. The second predust may be formed by combining the breadcrumbs, cracker meal, food starch, fibers, flour natural flavors andcolors, spray dried fats, flavored meat powders, and spices. In someembodiments, the second predust may further comprise artificial flavorsand colors, and antioxidants to control rancidity. The combined secondpredust may be processed to obtain varying particle sizes. In oneembodiment, the second predust is a fine powder.

In a step 150, a second batter may be applied to the food productfollowing the second predust step 140. The second batter may combine acombination of water, dry ingredients, and oil. The second batter maycontain one or more of bread crumbs, food starch, flour, cracker meal,gums, natural flavors and colors, spices, spray dried fats, flavoredmeat powders, oil, water, and combinations thereof. The second battermay contain bread crumbs, such as American or Japanese bread crumbs. Thesecond batter may also contain one or more varieties of flour, such aswheat flour, tapioca flour, rice flour, yellow corn flour, or acombination thereof. The second batter may also contain, for example,natural starches, citrus fibers, natural flavors and colors, spices,spray dried fats, flavored meat powders, oil, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, the second batter may further comprise artificialflavors and colors, and antioxidants to control rancidity. The secondbatter may contain approximately 2% to 10% by weight oil. In oneembodiment, the second batter may contain up to about 5% by weight oil.Adding oil to the second batter may improve the finished batter coatingappearance and improve batter coating release from Teflon™ slats, suchas Cambridge™ belting or JBT ProGrill™/ProBake™ belting during furtherprocessing. In on embodiment, the dry ingredients may be identical to orsubstantially similar to the first and second predust formulation. Thewater content of the second batter may be adjusted depending on desiredviscosity and coating thickness. The second batter may be applied to thefood product by conventional procedures known in the art.

After the second batter has been applied to the food product, thebattered coating of the food product may be set in a step 160. The foodproduct from the second batter step 150 may then be removed and placedin a conveyor oven having a non-stick belt. The non-stick belt maycomprise Teflon™ slats. Commercially available conveyor ovens may beemployed to set the battered coating of the food product in step 160,such as, for example, the JBTPG Series ProGrill™/ProBake™ ContactCooker. In one embodiment, the conveyor oven may be set at about 400° F.to about 450° F. and the food product may reside in the conveyor ovenfor approximately 2 minutes to set the batter coating with a combinationof steam and dry heat. The batter coating may also be set in 100% steam.

After the setting step 160, the food product may be thermally processedin a cooking step 170. The food product may be thermally processed byany heating method such as baking, frying, microwaving, grilling,steaming, broiling, sous vide, etc. Commercially available contactcookers, such as, for example JBT ProGrill™/ProBake™ may perform step170. The food product may be heated for a sufficient amount of time tofully cook the food product and to kill any harmful bacteria. In oneembodiment, the food product may be fried in a deep fryer set at 350° F.for approximately 4 to 4.5 minutes, or until the food product registersan internal temperature of 165° F.

After the cooking step 170, the food product may be misted in a mistingstep 180. The battered coating of the food product may be sprayed by atop and bottom chilled water sprayer. In some embodiments, the foodproduct is misted with a combination of vegetable oil, an emulsifier,and water.

Following the misting 180, the food product may be frozen and packagedin a step 190. The food product may be frozen after the misting step180. The food product may be packaged in a polyethylene bag, vacuumpackaged, or packaged in a modified atmosphere and hermetically sealed.

After the food product is frozen and packaged in step 190, the foodproduct may be reheated. The food product may be reheated in aconvection oven, deep fat fryer, pan, microwave, convection oven,infrared broiler, wok, flat grill, air fryer, or a combination thereof.In one embodiment, the frozen food product may be removed from itspackaging and placed on a cookie sheet with a wire rack before beingplaced in an oven at 400° F. for approximately 18 to 20 minutes.

From the above description, it is clear that the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein are adapted to carry out the objects and to attain theadvantages mentioned herein as well as those inherent in the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein. While exemplary embodiments of the inventiveconcepts disclosed herein have been described for purposes of thisdisclosure, it will be understood that numerous changes may be madewhich will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art andwhich are accomplished within the scope of the inventive conceptsdisclosed herein and defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for preparing a battered food product,comprising: coating a food product with a first predust comprisingcracker meal, and one or more natural coating ingredients in a firstpredust step; coating the food product from the first predust step witha first batter in a first coating step, the first batter comprising dryingredients, water, and oil; coating the food product from the firstcoating step with a second predust comprising cracker meal, and one ormore natural coating ingredients in a second predust step, wherein thecracker meal is sautéed with an oil; coating the food product from thesecond predust step with a second batter in a second coating step toform an edible coating on the food product, the second batter comprisingdry ingredients, water, and oil; setting the edible coating on the foodproduct in an oven in a setting step; thermally processing the foodproduct from the setting step in a cooking step; misting the ediblecoating on the food product from the cooking step with water in amisting step; and freezing the food product from the misting step forpackaging.
 2. The process of claim 1, further comprising a step ofcoating the food product with a liquid marinade in an initial marinadingstep prior to the first predust step.
 3. The process of claim 2, whereinthe food product is coated with the liquid marinade in a vacuum tumbler.4. The process of claim 2, wherein the liquid marinade includes one ormore of a stock, an alkali metal phosphate, and salt.
 5. The process ofclaim 4, wherein the stock is selected from a group consisting ofchicken stock, beef stock, turkey stock, vegetable stock, fish andseafood stock, bone broth, water, and a combination thereof.
 6. Theprocess of claim 4, wherein the flavored stock is unsalted.
 7. Theprocess of claim 4, wherein the flavored stock is unsalted chickenstock.
 8. The process of claim 4, wherein the alkali metal phosphate isselected from a group consisting of sodium tripolyphosphate, sodiumhexametaphosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, dipotassium phosphate, and acombination thereof.
 9. The process of claim 4, wherein the alkali metalphosphate is sodium tripolyphosphate.
 10. The process of claim 4,wherein the weight ratio of the flavored stock, alkali metal phosphate,and salt is about 48:1:1.
 11. The process of claim 1, wherein the foodproduct is coated with the first predust in the vacuum tumbler.
 12. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein the second predust step further includessautéing the cracker meal with an oil.
 13. The process of claim 12,wherein the cracker meal is sauteed using a heated plate with a surfacetemperature of approximately 400° F.
 14. The process of claim 1, whereinthe first coating step is optional.
 15. The process of claim 1, whereinthe one or more natural coating ingredients are selected from a groupconsisting of natural starches, citrus fibers, wheat flour, tapiocaflour, rice flour, yellow corn flour, natural flavors and colors,spices, spray dried fats, flavored meat powders, oil, and a combinationthereof.
 16. The process of claim 1, wherein one or more of the firstpredust, the second predust, the first batter, and the second batterfurther comprise artificial flavors and colors.
 17. The process of claim1, wherein the first batter, the second batter, or both include 5% byweight v oil.
 18. The process of claim 1, wherein thermally processingthe food product includes at least one of baking, frying, microwaving,grilling, steaming, sous vide, or broiling the food product.
 19. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein thermally processing the food productincludes frying the food product in a fryer such that the internaltemperature of the food product is at least about 165° F.
 20. Theprocess of claim 1, further comprising a step of reheating the foodproduct following the freezing step.
 21. The process of claim 20,wherein the step of reheating the food product following the freezingstep includes at least one of heating the food product in a convectionoven, a deep fat fryer, a pan, a microwave, a convection oven, aninfrared broiler, a work, a flat grill, or an air fryer.